SuperHero

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SuperHero Movies
Text by Jon Smajda Tom Dolan Images Clip by
Tom Plante PowerPoint by John Filek
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ORIGINS

• The Superhero genre may have origins in
• Neitzsches Overman, a vision of the Superior
  Being transcending human moralities (twisted into
  support of their political agenda by the Third
  Reich)
• Philip Wylies Hugo Danner (created in 1907),
  and then Gladiator, which mayve inspired the
  creation of Superman
• American teenagers Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster,
  who created the first superhero comic as we know
  it in 1933
• And other comic book publishers who hurriedly
  copied their idea to profit from the explosive
  success of DCs new Action Comics spin-off title,
  Superman.
• The Superhero genre then expanded and further
  defined itself in comic strips, early television
  and movies, starting with Superman, reflecting
  and feeding upon the commercialism, sexism,
  militarism and racism of the time.

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TV FILM

• Superhero films/television series we are most
  familiar with include
• Superman (1978---) X-men (2000,
  2002, 2003) Spiderman (2002 2004)
  Wonder Woman (1976) Hulk (2003)
  Smallville (2001-present)
• Batman (1966---) Daredevil
  (2004---) Unbreakable (2000)
• Hellboy (2004) and The
  League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
• Others Captain America (1944 1991), Punisher
  (1989 2004), Crow (1994), Catwoman (2004),
  Vampirella (1996), Supergirl (1984), Mystery Men
  (1999), and many more.

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CHARACTERS

• THE GENERIC SUPERHERO
• Superheroes
• are usually male, white, with extraordinary
  powers and an occasional vulnerability
• live a relatively solitary life in an urban
  setting,
• devote themselves to fighting crime or evil, and
• are alone capable of defeating whatever criminals
  or forces of evil are presented.
• GENERIC MAIN CHARACTERS
• Like most genre, the Superhero genre is peopled
  by predictable characters
• a hero with extraordinary powers, dedicated to
  fighting crime,
• a sidekick (Robin),
• a villain or two (Joker or Penguin),
• a damsel in distress (sometimes Vicki Vale) and
• secondary, usually ineffectual characters
  (criminals, police, press, public).

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GENERIC ELEMENTS OF PLOT

• The Superhero genres plot-lines usually involve
• a normal person who becomes a hero, often with
  extraordinary powers
• a romantic interest rescued by and/or endangered
  by hero but seldom learning the truth
• a powerful villain planning to do evil but
  temporarily thwarted by the hero
• a hero forced to choose between extraordinary
  obligations and a need for love and a normal
  life
• the villain learning the heros secret identity
  and
• forcing a decisive confrontation and the heros
  triumph.

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GENERIC ELEMENTS OF THEMATIC MORAL DISCOURSE

• The genres thematic and moral discourse, which
  supports the action and conflict, may include
• the possibility of transformation beyond what
  most of us are capable of
• endowment with extraordinary powers, including a
  sometimes fatal weakness which prevents hubris
• a story establishing a myth of origins,
  legitimizing the exercise of ones powers
• unavoidable dilemmas wherein the hero must choose
  between a normal life and the heroic role
• tensions between realitys complexities and a
  comics vision that is usually black-and-white,
  good-and-evil
• facing the injunction that with great power
  comes great responsibility, which poses
  questions about the extent of ones power and
  ones responsibilities
• living the phenomenon of the misunderstood
  outsider, sometimes driven by a passion to better
  the world
• the necessity of lies, secrecy, secret or dual
  identities, costumes, significant symbols, to
  make the heroic role easier to realize and an
  occasionally normal life possible.

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ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE WORLD

• Superhero stories often make similar assumptions
  about the nature of our world. Here are two
  examples of the types of assumptions they make
• Assumptions about the Nature of our Problems
• Our fate is in the hands of a single, heroic
  individual.
• We lack supernatural powers, so we cannot solve
  our own problems.
• Women, in particular, are weak and require saving
  by the superhero.
• Assumptions about Morality
• Everyone even superheroes have to obey moral
  rules and responsibilities.
• Although some rules can be violated (lying about
  identity) in pursuit of higher morals (saving the
  planet).
• Some people, like the villains, are pure evil.
• Physical confrontation is the only way to deal
  with such villains.

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• The previous assumptions provide some insights
  into limitations of the genre
• It plays into our fascination with crime and evil
  
• However, it offers no realistic messages about
  how to deal with our problems given that we dont
  actually have supernatural powers.
• For example, negotiation or compromise cannot
  solve the problems in the story. (Image if they
  could youd have characters with skills like
  supernatural negotiation skills that would
  not fascinate or sell!)
• It commonly perpetuates stereotypes about women
  and minorities.
• Oversimplifies problems of crime and good vs. bad.

LIMITATIONS TO THE GENRE
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CHANGES OVER TIME

• Like any genre, the Superhero genre changes as
  the times change
• (note these could each get a slide with pictures
  of each comparison case maybe?)
• Early adaptations to television were much less
  violent than their comic book equivalents. For
  example, the Justice League of America became
  Super Friends. By the 1990s television
  adaptations such as Foxs Batman was more dark,
  complicated and geared towards older audiences as
  well.
• Early televisions adaptations of Batman and
  Superman featured superheroes who looked like men
  with plain, ordinary bodies in brightly colored
  tights. Later adaptations, such as the Batman
  movies of the 1990s, featured a muscular
  character dressed in a darker costume and
  environment.
• In recent years, film adaptations such as The
  Hulk and Spiderman have tried to incorporate more
  elements of the comic book into the movie.
  Technological advances have helped spur these
  efforts.

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TWISTS

• Of course, there are many
• variations to the generic
• superhero story outlined
• above
• Sympathetic Villains (Villains in Spiderman)
• Normal Guy superhero Unbreakable
• Women as superhero Catwoman, Wonder Woman
• Anti-heroes The Punisher, Wolverine, Hellboy
• Out-of-control Superhero The Hulk

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TEACHING IDEAS

• Fan Fiction.
• Discuss changes over time, tying them to social
  context.
• Analyze critique values, morals, themes in one
  particular comic.